N.E. Cape Fear flooding traps woman inside her home

Leslee Thompson said it was weeks after moving back into her home after rebuilding from Hurricane Florence.
Leslee Thompson said it was weeks after moving back into her home after rebuilding from Hurricane Florence.
Published: Nov. 16, 2020 at 7:38 PM EST
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DUPLIN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Roads are still flooded and closed days after Thursday’s storm dumped over seven inches of rain across Eastern North Carolina.

Sections of roads in Duplin County were still impassable Monday, and WITN Meteorologists say it could stay that way through the week, as levels return to normal by Friday.

The Northeast Cape Fear River crested late Sunday at over 16 feet. That’s good news for Leslee Thompson, who’s been trapped inside her home outside of Chinquapin since the rivers started rising Friday afternoon. We flew the WITN drone to speak with her on-camera.

“When we get it, and the water comes, we flood,” said Thompson. “It’s, I’d say, probably two feet up on my pillars.”

The river runs basically right through Thompson’s backyard.

The water came just three weeks after she and her husband, who is stuck outside the home with no way to get in, moved back into her house after spending years repairing from damage done by Hurricane Florence.

“My husband took me out on the tractor it was already knee-deep,” said Thompson. “When Florence hit, we got 3.5 feet in our house.”

With plenty of supplies, Thompson said she’s prepared to wait it out for as long as it takes, which could be a couple of days.

“We’re watching a lot of TV. We’re just using everything just very sparingly,” said Thompson. “We’ve got a couple of kayaks. I can go to my neighbors and get jugs of water. Food-wise we’re fine. If the electricity goes out, we’ve got gas tanks and gas grills already on the porch.”

The National Weather Service lowered the area’s status from a major flood warning to a minor flood warning Sunday.

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